Continuing with the flux of sub-10K LCD monitors, today we have Viewsonic's VX2233WM full HD 22" monitor for you. Let's get some of the main specifications out of the way first; the monitor's native resolution is 1920x1080, so it has a 16:9 aspect ratio.

The panel is a TN with a typical contrast ratio of 1000:1 (18000:1 dynamic) with 300nits of brightness. Response time is a low 5ms, so ghosting or trailing effects should not be a problem. The specifications are very similar to that of Samsung and BenQ, so the only differentiating factor will be in the design, ergonomics, OSD menu and overall performance. So let's see if the Viewsonic has what it takes to bring down the reigning champion, the 2233SW.

Bundle

The accessory list is pretty much complete with all the necessary cables included.

• Guide book
• Diver CD
• D-Sub (VGA) cable
• DVI-D cable
• 3.5mm Stereo cable 

The design is taken directly from its bigger brother, the VX2433WM with a full glossy bezel and stand. There is just a single power button in the middle with a blue LED power light. The monitor tilts only backwards.

The rear of the monitor is quite bland with a full matt finish and four holes for the VESA mount. There are a couple of vents on the top of the monitor to let the heat escape. The design is pretty much standard, nothing too fancy about it but it's not dull either.

Coming to the ports, we have just VGA and DVI-D along with a Stereo-in cable for the speakers. The two watt speakers produce decent sound for everyday use but in no way can be replaced for a good set of headphones or 2.0 speakers.   

The buttons are placed on the side with each button's function written on the bezel. However, this is a bit inconvenient since it blends in with the glossy frame and makes it difficult to operate in low-light conditions. Luckily, the buttons are big enough, so over time you can operate them by just feeling them.

Performance

DisplayMate Tests

The monitor breezed through the DisplayMate tests until we got to the color intensity tests. The grayscale and color bars were very much distinguishable, especially toward the higher end of the spectrum that we don't often see. However, when it comes to the transition from black to white or the full color spectrum, there is a lot of streaking visible, which means if you have a picture of the sky that exhibits various shades of blue, they are not going to blend very well. Finally, there is a noticeable backlight bleed on the top and bottom edges of the screen when watching a movie.   

General Usage

The monitor is a cinch to setup, and once all the drivers were installed we were good to go. The default colors are good enough for regular desktop use, but are a bit pale for movie watching. With DCR off we can manually adjust the colors. But the contrast was already maxed out with the brightness set to 60%. Dropping the brightness a little produced a slightly richer picture but then it's too dull.  

The OSD (On Screen Display) needs to be improved quite a bit. Apart from being quite small, the color scheme looks really outdated. You can adjust the contrast and brightness along with the volume of the monitor. The last button lets you change the source instantly while the second last button lets you quickly adjust the volume. There aren't any preset color modes like you normally see on monitors, except for options to toggle Dynamic Contrast Ratio (DCR) and Eco mode. Also, most of the other options like Sharpness and Fine Tune are locked when connected via DVI.

Multimedia Usage

We played a lot of HD as well as DVD movies to see how this monitor performs in a real world scenario. To check the colors we played Kung Fu Panda and Final Fantasy : Advent Children, which the monitor handled with great ease. The colors are not as vibrant like they were on the Samsung but they are reproduced well. The reds could have been deeper and even maxing out the contrast didn't seem to do anything. For dark scenes, we naturally turned to The Dark Knight, which played well without any ghosting or trailing effects. Dynamic contrast doesn't seem to do much other than dim the screen during dark scenes, but during bright scenes the color looks pretty much the same.  

Price

The cheapest 22" full HD monitor now retails for just 9K. Yes, I'm talking about the Samsung 2233SW, which is currently is the best one you can find in terms of design and quality. Compared to that, the ViewSonic VX2233WM costs around Rs.10,000 with a three-year warranty.

Can it really command a slightly higher premium then? I think not. The only thing that's extra in the ViewSonic are a pair of speakers, which I'm sure many don't care about. What I mean is, while the Samsung is still the better buy, in case if you're not able to find it and desperately need a monitor then the ViewSonic would make a good alternative.  

Verdict

The monitor scene is slowly starting to resemble the Netbook market where we have clones of the same monitor with only design changes, while the specifications remain pretty much the same. The ViewSonic VX2233WM would fit that bill perfectly, thanks to the all mighty BenQ that started the 16:9 evolution. What you get is a healthy contrast and brightness level, quick response time and 1080p goodness, all the traits of a TN panel.  

The picture quality is good and colors are reproduced well, although they don't seem as vibrant compared to the others. There is no ghosting or trailing effect seen in fast-paced scenes, which is perfect for gaming.

While there is fierce competition in this segment you better have a good excuse to price your product a tad higher than the rest. So for instance if this monitor had an HDMI port, then the 10K price is justified, but that's not the case here. ViewSonic has produced a good monitor here but if they plan on doing some damage then they need to go aggressive with their pricing.  

Test unit sourced from Roop Technology Pvt Ltd.

Specifications